🔗 Share this article Shoah Survivors Demand Nigel Farage to Make Amends Over Alleged Antisemitic Remarks. A collective of Shoah survivors has publicly demanded that Nigel Farage be honest and express remorse for reported antisemitic abuse attributed to him toward Jewish students during his school days. The political party leader has previously stated he never racially abused anyone with the aim to hurt, framing it may have been mere "playground banter". "Being Shoah survivors, we understand the grave risk of hateful words – for we have seen where such words can lead," declared the survivors in a missive. "It is crucial to understand: praising Hitler, jeering at gas chambers, or shouting racist insults is not simple joking. Not in a playground. Not ever." An Unequivocal Demand The correspondence poses straightforward questions to the party leader: "Are the claims accurate that you stated ‘Hitler was right’ and ‘gas them,’ while mimicking gas chambers? Did you subject your classmates to antisemitic abuse?" Those Who Signed The group of eleven survivors features individuals with deeply traumatic personal stories from the Nazi genocide. Hedi Argent, who was bereaved of 27 members of her family. Simon Winston, who was confined to a ghetto before escaping in 1942 and living through the rest of the war concealed. Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who was sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau and later transferred to Bergen-Belsen, where she was rescued. Other signatories include Janine Webber, Edith Jayne, Helen Aronson, Ruth Barnett, John Fieldsend, Susan Pollack, Hanneke Dye and Agnes Kaposi. Increasing Allegations This intervention is a response to the dismissal of corroborating allegations by more than several dozen former pupils and teachers as "made-up twaddle" by a high-ranking official. Since the initial report, more contemporaries have come forward. Nearly thirty people connected to the school now claim they observed prejudiced actions by him. One well-known allegation comes from Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish-born award-winning director, who said that a young Farage would approach him and utter the phrases "Hitler was right" and "gas them", sometimes adding a long hiss to mimic the sound of poison gas. Additional Claims Additional alumni from ethnic minorities have likewise spoken publicly with accounts of targeted insults. Cyrus Oshidar claimed he was branded a "Paki" and has labelled as rubbish the idea that such actions were devoid of malice. Another pupil of Asian descent portrayed him as an "avowed bigot" who would use the phrase "Enoch Powell was correct" as a form of "ethnic harassment". The Survivors' Final Appeal The missive from survivors puts forth an ultimate dilemma to Farage: "If you deny saying those words, are you claiming that 20 former classmates and teachers are fabricating their stories? If the words were spoken, now is the time to take responsibility and say sorry." "Individuals who hope to lead our country should never sow discord by ethnicity or faith. Hatred of Jews must always be confronted. This moment is about moral responsibility. The decision is yours, Mr Farage."
A collective of Shoah survivors has publicly demanded that Nigel Farage be honest and express remorse for reported antisemitic abuse attributed to him toward Jewish students during his school days. The political party leader has previously stated he never racially abused anyone with the aim to hurt, framing it may have been mere "playground banter". "Being Shoah survivors, we understand the grave risk of hateful words – for we have seen where such words can lead," declared the survivors in a missive. "It is crucial to understand: praising Hitler, jeering at gas chambers, or shouting racist insults is not simple joking. Not in a playground. Not ever." An Unequivocal Demand The correspondence poses straightforward questions to the party leader: "Are the claims accurate that you stated ‘Hitler was right’ and ‘gas them,’ while mimicking gas chambers? Did you subject your classmates to antisemitic abuse?" Those Who Signed The group of eleven survivors features individuals with deeply traumatic personal stories from the Nazi genocide. Hedi Argent, who was bereaved of 27 members of her family. Simon Winston, who was confined to a ghetto before escaping in 1942 and living through the rest of the war concealed. Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who was sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau and later transferred to Bergen-Belsen, where she was rescued. Other signatories include Janine Webber, Edith Jayne, Helen Aronson, Ruth Barnett, John Fieldsend, Susan Pollack, Hanneke Dye and Agnes Kaposi. Increasing Allegations This intervention is a response to the dismissal of corroborating allegations by more than several dozen former pupils and teachers as "made-up twaddle" by a high-ranking official. Since the initial report, more contemporaries have come forward. Nearly thirty people connected to the school now claim they observed prejudiced actions by him. One well-known allegation comes from Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish-born award-winning director, who said that a young Farage would approach him and utter the phrases "Hitler was right" and "gas them", sometimes adding a long hiss to mimic the sound of poison gas. Additional Claims Additional alumni from ethnic minorities have likewise spoken publicly with accounts of targeted insults. Cyrus Oshidar claimed he was branded a "Paki" and has labelled as rubbish the idea that such actions were devoid of malice. Another pupil of Asian descent portrayed him as an "avowed bigot" who would use the phrase "Enoch Powell was correct" as a form of "ethnic harassment". The Survivors' Final Appeal The missive from survivors puts forth an ultimate dilemma to Farage: "If you deny saying those words, are you claiming that 20 former classmates and teachers are fabricating their stories? If the words were spoken, now is the time to take responsibility and say sorry." "Individuals who hope to lead our country should never sow discord by ethnicity or faith. Hatred of Jews must always be confronted. This moment is about moral responsibility. The decision is yours, Mr Farage."